Egypt Daily News – The US State Department warned the administration of President-elect Donald Trump of a humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza after the Israeli law banning UNRWA activity there came into force.
The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) is the main aid agency working in Gaza. US officials say there is no serious backup plan to provide humanitarian supplies and services to the Palestinians.
After more than a year of war, the United Nations and other relief organizations have warned that Gaza is on the verge of becoming uninhabitable after tens of thousands of homes were destroyed, and nearly two million Palestinians have been displaced while their primary dependence is on aid for food, water and medical services.
The Israeli law will go into effect a few days after Trump is inaugurated as president. President Joe Biden’s administration officials told Axios that they began the briefing on UNRWA because they wanted the new administration to be aware of the looming crisis.
Last week, State Department officials briefed Joel Rayburn of Trump’s transition team on the UNRWA situation and expressed deep concern about the effects of the new laws on the humanitarian situation in Gaza, US officials said.
Rayburn, an experienced Middle East expert and former US envoy to Syria, is expected to be appointed Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs in the next administration.
A US official told Axios: “We wanted them to know what would happen after 10 days of their presidency. We thought this was the responsible thing to do. It is a disaster waiting to happen.” US officials told the site that neither Israel nor the United Nations have made any serious plans for what will happen next.
American and Israeli officials said that United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres had refused during the past two months to enter into a discussion with Israel regarding alternative United Nations agencies that could assume some of UNRWA’s roles.
The Israeli government held several consultations on the UNRWA issue, but no decision was made about what to do in Gaza after the laws came into force, a senior Israeli official told Axios. A US official said: “Both sides are playing a game of chicken, waiting for some magical solution, and believe that if they do nothing, they will happen.
In late October, the Israeli parliament passed two bills that would significantly limit UNRWA’s ability to continue working in Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
The first draft law prohibits UNRWA from operating in Israeli territory, and is most relevant to UNRWA’s activity in East Jerusalem, but it also affects the aid agency’s operations in the West Bank, which is managed from Jerusalem.
The second draft law prevents any Israeli government official from contacting UNRWA, and strips all agency workers of their diplomatic privileges and immunity.
